Five AHL players make NHL All-Rookie Team

Five players who skated in the American Hockey League during the 2012-13 season were named to the National Hockey League’s All-Rookie Team on Saturday.

The six-player team includes AHL alumni goaltender Jake Allen of the St. Louis Blues, defensemen Jonas Brodin of the Minnesota Wild and Justin Schultz of the Oklahoma City Barons, and forwards Brendan Gallagher of the Montreal Canadiens and Brandon Saad of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Voting was conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association at the end of the regular season.

Allen, a second-round pick (34th overall) by the Blues in the 2008 NHL Draft, led NHL rookie goaltenders in wins (9), goals-against average (2.46) and save percentage (.905) while ranking second in appearances (15) and minutes (803:53). He won eight of his first nine decisions, including five straight March 7-16.

Allen, 22, was 13-19-2 (2.89, .904) with two shutouts in 35 appearances for the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen in 2012-13. The three-year pro has played 120 AHL games for Peoria, going 51-58-7 with a 2.76 GAA, a .913 save percentage and nine shutouts. Allen also represented the Blues organization at the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic.

Selected 10th overall by the Wild in the 2011 NHL Draft, Brodin compiled two goals, nine assists and a plus-3 rating in 45 games to help Minnesota clinch its first postseason berth since 2007-08. He led all NHL rookies in total time on ice (1,044:35) and average time on ice (23:12).

Brodin, 19, began his first North American pro season with the AHL’s Houston Aeros, scoring a goal in his debut on Oct. 13 and finishing with two goals and two assists in nine games.

Schultz, who also earned a spot on the AHL’s All-Rookie Team and was named the winner of the Eddie Shore Award as the league’s outstanding defenseman in 2012-13, the first rookie recipient in the 55-year history of that award. Schultz totaled 18 goals and 30 assists for 48 points in just 34 games with Oklahoma City, and tied for the AHL lead in scoring among defensemen despite playing his last game for the Barons on Jan. 5.

With Edmonton, Schultz led NHL first-year defensemen in goals (8), assists (19) and points (27) in 48 games. The 22-year-old also paced all rookies with 11 power-play assists and 15 power-play points, five more than the next-closest player, and tied for first among freshmen skaters with three game-winning goals. Among rookies, Schultz ranked second in total time on ice (1,029:35) and third in average time on ice (21:26).

A fifth-round pick by the Canadiens in 2010, Gallagher helped Montreal go from a last-place finish in the Eastern Conference in 2011-12 to a Northeast Division title and the second seed in the conference in 2012-13. He played in 44 NHL games, ranking second among rookies with 15 goals and fourth with 28 points.

Gallagher, 21, appeared in 36 AHL games with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2012-13, compiling 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points.

A second-round pick (43rd overall) by the Blackhawks in the 2011 NHL Draft, Saad led all NHL rookies with a plus-17 rating to help Chicago earn its second Presidents’ Trophy in team history. He ranked fifth among rookies in each of the three major scoring categories — goals (10), assists (17) and points (27).

The 20-year-old Saad appeared in 31 games for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs in 2012-13, notching eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points.